Whether you are a huge home décor fanatic or an inspiring designer, you’ll find inspiration from these amazing trend-setting designs. There are so many different design styles that we decided to select some of the most popular ones for this week.

Asian – Excellent Option When You Favour Contemporary Style

Focused on striking shapes, sleek lines and clean designs, Asian interiors often creates a serene, peaceful feel. The Asian décor style is complemented by stone sinks, decorative greenery, pebble backsplashes and mostly contain references to natural items or nature.

The main focus in Asian-inspired homes is serenity, cleanliness and the use of multi-purpose furniture that also offers disguised storage. Most commonly used in this design style are benches and ottomans opening up to offer storage, chairs and sofas adorned with scattered pillows in a variety of colours. Table lamps and light fixtures are as practical as the rest of the furniture and accessories are normally intricately patterned table lamps.
Chippendale – Loved Since 1754

Chippendale – Loved Since 1754

As visually attractive as the Chippendale design style is, so is its history. Inspired by the furniture catalogue published by Thomas Chippendale, the furniture used are strongly influenced by the architectural elements of the Chinese widow patters and roofs as well as Rococo and Gothic finishing’s. Intricately detailed chair backrests are achieved via back legs with designs flowing upwards, while tapered legs are one of the most featured characteristics of the Chippendale styled furniture.

Lacy patterns and club feet are also part of the favoured design, while furnishing is mostly made form easily carved mahogany. Chairs and stool are upholstered with silk or velvet, while the Chippendale interiors are styled with creamy greys and whites as well as neutral tones. Chandeliers are basically a must when it comes to completing this sophisticated style and favoured metallics such as bronze, silver and gold are used throughout the Chippendale styled home.

Danish – Perfected by Contemporary & Modern Influences

Simple, clean and with emphasis on sleek, defined by simplicity and Nordic aesthetics is the best way to describe the Danish interior decorating style. Fabrics, upholstery and patterned scatter cushions are used to introduce bright colours, while stark whites, neutral tones and beige are used throughout the home to provide seamless contrast with bold-coloured accessories. The furniture used is without detail as the focus is clean lines and function takes priority over style.

The focus of each room falls on tables and chairs combined via a few decorative pieces. The Danish style is preferred by many due to its uncluttered, crisp, cool interior style that also uses lamps with sleek basses and white shades placed to illuminate the monochromatic colour palette of this design style.

Whether you favour the Danish, Chippendale or Asian interior design style the focus remains on creating a home that is never cluttered with lots of accessories and each of the styles offers a refreshing, clean and crisp look. Should not one of the above styles be what you’re looking for, do return next week we’ll be exploring a whole range of other design styles.

Vogue released the eight design styles most in fashion for 2019, if one of your new Year’s resolutions are to redecorate your house, these designs could be all you need for inspirations. The new trends for this year include Mid-Century Modern, Nautical, Scandinavian, Bohemian and Industrial.

Scandinavian Interior Designs

The Scandinavian design is a spin-off of the popular mid-century designs and adds a minimalist look that could remain in favor for many years to come. This interior style is favored for its playful accent colors, gentle contours as well as its perfect equilibrium of organic and engineered materials. The Scandinavian furniture designs are contemporary, simple and focuses on functionality. Several of the top Scandinavian designers utilizes the principles of Bauhaus, characterized by object proportions focus, fluid lines with an anti-elitist appeal.

The majority of interiors that specializes in the Scandinavian design uses grey and white tones as foundation colors, while the focus during design is on a versatile aesthetic in the home that offers clean and fresh visuals and optimized living comfort.

Mid-Century Modern

In modern design, the most iconic pieces are still those produced in the mid-1900’s, characterized by minimalist silhouettes, refined lines and natural shapes. The mid-century modern masters include Jacobsen, Eames, Niemeyer, Saarinen and Noguchi and materials includes aluminium, molded plastic and plywood, while all units and designs are versatile enough to complement a variety of different styles. Mid-Century modern enables you to mix elements of different design styles, while the focus is on making your home look fresh. The best way to approach this design is the purist approach blended with minimalist.

Industrial Interior Design

Industrial remains a favorite and has been in fashion since the turn-of-the -century, it emphasis on the liberal use of wooden elements, exposed steel and is best enhanced by exposed brick walls. The more modern version also includes copper-tone accents and the feel have slightly shifted to a more mature and rustic feel. The industrial design ranges in decor from items with cleaner lines to modern rustic and rugged vintage with ornamentation touching elaborate. Depending on your personal taste this design can offer an almost antique look, lighter and chic look depending on accessories and the color blend.

Nautical Home Design

Positive, relaxing and warm are the characteristics that makes Nautical a great design most preferred for cottage style and coastal decor, since if reflects the beach house spirit of New England. The design style is focused on a sand colored and/or white foundation with the primary accent color being blue. Materials most used or incorporated in the nautical decor style is unfinished wooden chairs and tables combined with linen upholstery for sofas and seats. The decorative accents include rowing oars, clear jars, navigational maps, jute ropes and seashells.
Bohemian Style Interior Decorating

Bohemian is all about an avant-garde lifestyle, capturing the adventurous and carefree spirit. The perfect blend of vibrant colors, rich patterns that focuses largely on rich purple and red tones is key to the carefully planned purposefully almost messy look. The warm ambiance is created via layered textiles, which always includes tapestry, rugs, throws and lots of pillows. The Bohemian style looks best when it includes pieces that offers nomadic vibes or ethnic styles such as tribal-inspired designs, boho-chic, Moroccan flair or Southwestern inspiration, perfect for anyone who loves metallic, animal hide, and wood accents.

Singleness, Clarity, Simplicity, these are the words that are used to describe minimalism in the home, it gives us vividness and power and lots of joy as it is also a sign of great art according to Richard Holloway.

If minimalism is your resolution for the New Year, it would mean you will intentionally try to live with only the things you really need. Minimalism is freedom from the passion to possess lots of things, it is intentional, it is also freedom from the modern mania, even more freedom from duplicity, it is also counter-cultural, and completely achievable.

Intentionality via Minimalism

Minimalism is indicated by purpose, clarity and intentionality, right at the core of it is the intentional promotion of the things we value as well as the removal of all other things that distracts us from what we really value. It is a lifestyle that forces intentionality, and at the same time, it forces improvements across all aspects of our life.

Freedom from The Passion to Possess

Modern day has brought us into the belief that a good life is determined by the amount of stuff we accumulate, the number of things we possess and therefore most continue to accumulate things they never need. People believe that the more things they have the closer the idea of happiness is and at the end happiness can’t be purchased for your local store.

The idea is wrong on so many levels, we all are too hurried, too stressed and too rushed plus we simply too busy, our homes are too busy, which causes a chain reaction of stressing us, and it’s too busy to provide us with a place of relaxing. Working long hours to pay all our bills, although the debt continues to increase, and we all rush from one activity to the next, while everyone is multi-tasking. Yet do we ever get all done? We always busy connecting with others via our mobile phones, while the real or true life-changing relationships escape us.

Minimalism means we rid of all we don’t need, and we don’t ever purchase anything unless it is truly necessary, which actually means you’ll be able to survive with only a third of what you have right now. Sell it, give it away or simply have it removed. Immediately your home environment is less busy or cluttered it already offers a calmer environment. If it is only the essentials you live with you won’t need to purchase much apart from food, your house remains more organised, and you get on top of your bills as they will not increase, and you won’t make purchases.

Living with less means more freedom, especially financially! Living with only what you need, not the stuff that impresses your friends only the things you truly need offers a lifestyle of less clutter, less stress which ultimately equals more freedom, more time to spend relaxing and more time to truly enjoy live!

We all know of the pressure during the holiday season, maybe most of it placed on ourselves by ourselves, still, we all strive to be the perfect host to both family and friends. Everyone needs to be entertained, need to be spoiled with great eats and of course you want to place a drink on their hand that is worth commenting on. Every year you try a different eggnog recipe, yet why not make this year, that special year where you ignore all the traditional stuff such as Mulled Wine and Rum & Eggnog and replace it with some of the most sensational alternatives.

Everyone loves an interesting drink, it is often a great conversation starter, but most of the time too difficult to perfect and too time-consuming, so here are the quick and super fun drinks you get to serve this year.

Holiday Twist with Coffee

0.5 oz Coffee
1 oz Martini Rosso
1 oz Star of Bombay Gin
1 oz Campari

Stir in all the ingredients into a mixing glass already filled with ice and then fine-strain it into a chilled glass, while the final touch is the coffee bean and orange wheel.

Grey Goose Espresso Martini

Another great coffee themed surprise to served up some deliciousness this holiday season is the Grey Goose Espresso Martini. It is quick to mix and can be served in a number of great ways.

Only three ingredients:
1 oz Espresso
0.75 oz Premium Coffee Liqueur
1.5 oz Grey Goose Vodka

Pour it all into a cocktail shaker and give quite the shake, then double strain it into a pre-chilled martini glass and decorate with mint leaves or spice it up with nutmeg.

Welcome the Grand with a Bowl of Punch

Why make each cocktail individually when you can ready a bowl of it well in advance, forget the Eggnog and rum, it is time to impress your guests with something truly divine.
2 cups Grand Marnier
2 cups Pineapple Juice
4 cups Ginger Ale
2 bottles of Champagne (chilled)
0.5 cup Black Raspberry Liqueur
2 cups Fresh Raspberries

Its quick and easy, since all you have to do is mix all the ingredients in a large punch bowl.

Paper Plane

Ohh, the Paper Plane is one that should not be kept secret till the holiday season, actually you might look for excuses to make and serve this one!
1.5 oz Bourbon
1.5 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
1.5 oz Amaro
1.5 oz Aperol

The Paper Plane is again one of those so easy to make that you’ll hardly see it as an extra chore just before the big party, you simply combine all delicious ingredients into a shaker and mix it all up together with ice. Well, there is a whole lot of shaking’ going on, since you need to shake it for around 20 seconds, and once that is out of the way you strain it into chilled glasses and enjoy all the compliments form your appreciative guests.

When someone asks you what design style you prefer, it’s often hard for the everyday person to explain, so below we going to break down and simplify some of the design styles you may have heard of.

Mediterranean

Some key elements in the Mediterranean design style include the layout of the room and how it is built. High arches, plastered walls and tiled or marbled floors are mostly seen in this type of home. Colours include warm, earthy tones; terracottas, browns, creams and golds, and every now and again, a blue or green will be used as a highlight colour in accessories.

Fabrics include scattered cushions that resemble tapestries, woven fabrics and cotton or silk rugs. In the living rooms, you will see big comfy couches with rounded edges with some exposed wood as well as decorative wooden tables showing off simple yet beautiful carvings. Bedrooms feature high poster beds and luxurious linens. No one can deny that Mediterranean-style designs are luxurious and rich and welcome you with a feeling of warmth.

Contemporary

The contemporary design is one of the favourites among young professionals. Furniture has square edges, creating the three-dimensional feeling of colour blocking. Colouring is normally a neutral colour or two, highlighted with something exciting, giving off the rather cliché but perfectly descriptive “pop” of colour. Black and red, grey and yellow, white and blues are some examples. Another characteristic to take note of is that a contemporary design is rather sparse and minimal, with zero clutter, a coffee table will display a fruit bowl or a candle maybe even a magazine or two, but that’s all, and it will be strategically placed, everything is neat and concise.

Rustic

Rustic designs are the epitome of upcycling. Here you will see unfinished wood everywhere, often whitewashed or painted and sanded down, with handmade nails exposed, and copper tacks along the seams of upholstered furniture. The rougher the wood or metal is, the better. Aged tea boxes are used as accent tables, restored shipping chests are used as coffee tables and pallet wood may even clad the walls. Scatter cushions and woven rugs play tribute to your grandmother’s cross-stitch creations while lampshades are indicative of hessian bags.

Traditional

When you walk into a traditionally styled room, you immediately feel like royalty, you might even find yourself craving tea and scones. This design includes rich, dark wooden floors, soft wall colours, top of the range fabrics and heavy wooden furniture. One of the most important things to consider with this design are the curvy, flowing, regal lines. Overstuffed couches are often full of fringed, plump scatter cushions, while windows are framed with heavy yet highly elegant drapes, that normally hang from the ceiling to the floor. The light-coloured walls display mirrors in bulky gold or silver decorative frames as well as beautifully painted watercolours. This is a wonderful design for the antique lover or someone who has inherited china and silver tea sets as this can all be easily incorporated into the design.

Napkin folding is not something new. This decorative art form has been used for centuries to complete memorable table settings. The illustration above is one of the very first traced and was originally published around 1657. Napkin folding is both a hobby and a decorative folding art form used to complete from the most formal to the brightest themed table. It is most commonly seen in the fancy restaurants that often used clean pressed, starched linen napkins to ensure a luxurious look. There are variolous folding techniques and those not familiar with all the folded styles often uses glass, natural or rectangular napkin rings.

Decorative Napkin Folding – Where it All Started

The very first instruction manual on decorative or artistic napkin folding was published by Matthia Gieger in 1639. The German working as a meat carver at Padua enjoyed this hobby for many centuries. But it is also noted that napkin folding was used around 1638 in the times of Roi-Sleil the sun king and Louis the Great. Yet the while shift from neatly folded napkins to the decorative folding art form actually occurred in Florence during the sixteenth century. In Italy it was also the time-period of voluminous clothing at the time, fashion was seen as wealth and one of the greatest fashions of the time was the ballooned sleeves. It is during this time that laying a napkin flat on a plate was no longer in fashion and starched linen napkins became folded in such a way that it could multitask as a centrepiece.

Folded Napkins at Weddings

The folded napkins depicted many forms including natural elements, architectural form and mythical animals. Folded napkins also became a popular gift to wedding guests and the way these where folded personally by an artist would distinguish the quest of the bride from those of the broom.

Eighteen Century Table Setting Requires Specific Napkin Folding

By the mid 18th century in Germany table setting became quite a practice and so did the specific folds of napkins. There was even a school in Nuremberg in the golden age where housekeepers could go to learn the art of napkin folding. It is also in this century that napkin folding became an art form that included table sculptures, folded via precious offered by rulers and butlers where to check that each was folded exactly the same as all others.

Today, napkin folding is mostly performed for formal dinners, family lunches, Thanks Giving or Christmas celebrations. With hundreds if not thousands of napkin folding ideas, any party can unfold into a masterpiece. Starched, white linen napkins are not as often used as before, and many parties now have to do with paper or paper-foiled serviettes, yet still, the variety of colours and textures makes it possible to provide guests with the most wonderful table settings from tropical to classic to formal.